The sivatherium is an ancestor of the modern animal, the giraffe. It would grow to have an incredbly large body. When a fully grown adult it can stand at around 2.2 meters from its shoulder to the ground. The sivatherium was not only the ancestor of the modern day giraffe, but also of the moose. It had a moose like structure and even moose like horns. Some structural features of the sivatherium however can be still be seen on a giraffe. Early humans hunted the sivatherium to extinction as it was wanted for its meat, horns and fur. Rocks in the Sahara desert contain drawings of the prehistoric mammal that were drawn by the early humans and are now being preserved in museums.
Habitat According to fossils that were found by archaeologists in Africa, it is believed that the sivatherium had comparable living conditions to the modern giraffe. They lived on the plains of India and Africa which both had hot desert like temperatures throughout the year, little vegetation and water was scarce. However, the water being scarce was not a great issue as it could go several days without water just like the giraffe. When needed water, the sivatherium traveled inland where there was plenty of water and dense vegetation.
Structural Adaptation one Horns/Ossicones Like the moose, the sivatherium had large horns that it used to defend itself from larger animals that posed a threat. When examined more closely however, under its moose-like horns and perched on top of its eyes, two ossicones can be seen. They are very small and are also found on the modern giraffe today. Ossicones look very much like horns, but they are actually formed from cartilage, not bone. A male sivatherium used its horns to fight with other males, but the modern giraffe now uses its ossicones to fight.
Structural Adaptation two Bulky figure The sivatherium has a bulky moose like figure that is an incredible 2.2 meters in height from its shoulder to the ground. When a male is in a fight it would swing large body and all its weight across and try to knock over the other male sivatherium, this was one method of fighting that was quite common. On its bulky figure, fur covered the sivatherium's entire body. As it lived in hot and dry conditions, the fur around most of its body was only thin. Around its neck however the fur is much thicker this is because the neck is much more sensitive.
THE SIVATHERIUM
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Giraffidae
Subfamily: Sivatheriinae
Genus: Sivatherium
The sivatherium is an ancestor of the modern animal, the giraffe. It would grow to have an incredbly large body. When a fully grown adult it can stand at around 2.2 meters from its shoulder to the ground. The sivatherium was not only the ancestor of the modern day giraffe, but also of the moose. It had a moose like structure and even moose like horns. Some structural features of the sivatherium however can be still be seen on a giraffe. Early humans hunted the sivatherium to extinction as it was wanted for its meat, horns and fur. Rocks in the Sahara desert contain drawings of the prehistoric mammal that were drawn by the early humans and are now being preserved in museums.
Habitat
According to fossils that were found by archaeologists in Africa, it is believed that the sivatherium had comparable living conditions to the modern giraffe. They lived on the plains of India and Africa which both had hot desert like temperatures throughout the year, little vegetation and water was scarce. However, the water being scarce was not a great issue as it could go several days without water just like the giraffe. When needed water, the sivatherium traveled inland where there was plenty of water and dense vegetation.
Structural Adaptation one
Horns/Ossicones
Like the moose, the sivatherium had large horns that it used to defend itself from larger animals that posed a threat. When examined more closely however, under its moose-like horns and perched on top of its eyes, two ossicones can be seen. They are very small and are also found on the modern giraffe today. Ossicones look very much like horns, but they are actually formed from cartilage, not bone. A male sivatherium used its horns to fight with other males, but the modern giraffe now uses its ossicones to fight.
Structural Adaptation two
Bulky figure
The sivatherium has a bulky moose like figure that is an incredible 2.2 meters in height from its shoulder to the ground. When a male is in a fight it would swing large body and all its weight across and try to knock over the other male sivatherium, this was one method of fighting that was quite common.
On its bulky figure, fur covered the sivatherium's entire body. As it lived in hot and dry conditions, the fur around most of its body was only thin. Around its neck however the fur is much thicker this is because the neck is much more sensitive.
Behavioral Adaptation one
Behavioral Adaptation two
Physiological Adaptation
Selection Pressure